Doodnaught, 65, was convicted in November of assaulting the women — aged 25 to 75 — over a four-year period at the North York General Hospital while they were semi-conscious. He was sentenced last month to 10 years.

Among the offences, the court found the 35-year anesthesiologist had inserted his penis into their mouths, used some for masturbation, and sexually fondled others.

The married father of five, a first time offender, argued for bail on the grounds he was at no risk of reoffending because his medical licence is under suspension.

Four bail sureties were offering to put up $1 million on his behalf.

In arguing against bail, the Crown said Doodnaught had shown himself to be a serial sexual offender whose crimes came “right out of a horror movie.”

Doodnaught is appealing on the grounds that the judge who convicted him made various errors related to the factual evidence against him.

While the appeal is not frivolous, LaForme noted that a highly experienced trial judge found “overwhelming” evidence of Doodnaught’s guilt.

At best, Doodnaught has some “arguable” grounds to challenge his conviction but none offers compelling support that he was wrongly convicted, LaForme ruled.

When Diana Adams first walked into the hospital room of a frail 88-year-old a month ago, she caught him in the midst of climbing off his stretcher. The distressed man had severe dementia, had been in the emergency room for four hours and was saying he wanted to go home.

But by the time Ms. Adams had helped him sit back and set up her materials, he was calm, focused and engaged in the task before him; clipping coloured clothespins to plastic buckets.

“He was engaged with this for 40 minutes,” she said. “After I left, he didn’t pull his ECG lines, he didn’t try to pull out his IV. He was calm.”

Activities like this are part of a new study Ms. Adams, a geriatric emergency management nurse, is leading at North York General Hospital through funding from the hospital’s Exploration Fund. Her research is looking at how Montessori Methods for Dementia, which uses a person-centred approach and multisensory activities, can calm and reassure an ER patient, preserve their abilities and improve their overall experience.

They don’t know where they are and it’s very frightening

A visit to the ER can be overwhelming enough for someone without cognitive impairment, but for someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s, the visit can be especially challenging.

“Imagine somebody you love and they’re in an emergency department and they’re in a stretcher screaming, they’re trying to climb off. It’s so heartbreaking,” said Ms. Adams after she exited the main ER area, where sick patients waited in the hallway on stretchers and nurses addressed concerns of anxious relatives.

“It’s a recipe for disaster. They don’t know where they are and it’s very frightening,” she said. Sometimes patients have to be sedated or restrained.

Patient distress can also make the already chaotic environment more stressful for staff, she said.

HandoutDiana Adams and a volunteer demonstrate how Montessori methods can help dementia patients.

The method Ms. Adams uses is simple. She or one of her team members will sit down with a patient for 30 minutes or so, set up materials and allow the patient to interact with the items. There is no right or wrong way of engaging; pink clothespins can be clipped on blue buckets, or on top of other clips.

Her materials include plastic buckets and clothespins, sorting cards and a laminated book showing scenes the patient might encounter — a nurse in scrubs with a mask on her face or ECG wires on someone’s chest — and large print describing what each scene means.

The Montessori philosophy was first developed in the early 1900s by Italian educator Maria Montessori and was geared toward helping children learn through discovery, encouraging them to follow their interests. In the 1990s, American psychologist Cameron Camp adapted these methods when he discovered it could preserve ability in people with dementia. Later, now-retired McMaster University gerontologist Gail Elliot created Montessori Methods for Dementia. This approach looks at an individual’s needs, skills and abilities and then matches them with purposeful, stimulating activities.

Deborah O’Connor, director of the Centre for Research on Personhood in Dementia at UBC, said although there is need for more research on the effectiveness of Montessori Methods, she calls Ms. Adams’ ER study an “amazing idea.”

“We really need to be… making that experience so that it’s not quite so devastating to both the family member and the [patient],” she said.

Montessori Methods for Dementia is currently used at care facilities like Toronto’s L’Chaim Retirement Centre and Dementia Support day centre. There, staff determine what everyday things residents did throughout their live and what they are capable of doing now.

“You have to look into the person and find the person behind the dementia,” said Judy Cohen, founder of the facilities. For one older woman, the task of folding towels gives her a sense of purpose, improving her self-esteem, she said.

You have to look into the person and find the person behind the dementia

It was learning about success at these facilities that sparked Ms. Adams’ initial interest in Montessori.

At North York General Emergency Department, staff don’t have the luxury of determining what patients used to do, but they do try to judge levels of ability. Higher functioning patients with dementia are given travel books, for instance.

“Nobody has said this is baby-like,” Ms. Adams said. “This is the ability that they are at.”

Though Ms. Adams was initially skeptical of using these methods in the ER, she now says “they’re working.”

The study began in April and of the about 12 patients she’s worked with so far, 80% have responded successfully — they calmed down, stopped asking repetitive questions and climbing off their stretcher. Those for whom the methods didn’t work may have been too sick to focus, Ms. Adams said.

She aims to work with 30 to 40 patients in total and to gather all data by late fall 2013. This is the first known study of using Montessori Methods in an ER setting and her hope is that the results may help improve patient experiences throughout North America.

The victim whose complaint triggered a cascade of sexual-assault charges against a Toronto anesthesiologist remembers a physical “shock,” then a wave of indignation as he allegedly molested her in the operating room three years ago.

George Doodnaught started by “tweaking” and caressing her nipples, the woman testified Thursday, and then “swirling” his tongue in her mouth. Soon afterward, he placed his penis in her mouth to the point she felt she was “gagging,” the court heard.

“I couldn’t believe that this was happening,” said the woman, whose identity is covered by a publication ban.

“He was moving his hips in and out very slowly, very rhythmically… It was bizarre.”

She recalled the glint of Dr. Doodnaught’s wedding ring in the hospital light and thinking: “You bastard.”

I couldn’t believe that this was happening

Dr. Doodnaught, who was employed by North York General Hospital for about three decades, stands accused of sexually assaulting 21 patients between 2006 and 2010. The victims range in age from 25 to 75.

The Crown alleges Dr. Doodnaught, while working behind a three-foot-high paper screen that separated him from the surgical team, quietly assaulted consciously sedated patients.

The woman who took the stand Thursday —which was at times combative, particularly when defence lawyer Brian Greenspan challenged her to recall specifics of the hospital set-up — attended North York General in February 2010 for a hysterectomy.

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“The next thing I remember is opening my eyes and seeing a blue screen in front of me, and feeling my right breast being fondled,” the witness testified, noting the sensation sent a “shock” through her body.

As the victim lay in a “twilight state” between consciousness and unconsciousness, Dr. Doodnaught kissed her and forced her to perform oral sex, the woman testified. Each act lasted two to three minutes, she estimated.

“I smelled his body and I remember it turning my stomach,” she said.

Later, as the witness lay recovering from surgery, she says Dr. Doodnaught entered the room and informed her: “As soon as you were out, the first thing you reached for was my dick.”

He returned again the next day, with the witness awakening to find a hand caressing her cheek, the court heard. She rolled over and saw Dr. Doodnaught standing over her, she testified.

The North York General Hospital announced Thursday that it will rename its south tower as the Steinberg Family Tower to honour a $12-million donation to the hospital from local benefactors, Charlotte and Lewis Steinberg.

The Steinbergs’ gift will help pay for investments to the hospital’s emergency room and its acute care unit, and pay for a new CT scanner. Gulshan and Pyarali Nanji also made a “monumental” gift, the hospital said, enough to buy a new CT scanner.

In recognition, the hospital has put their name on the Gulshan & Pyarali G. Nanji Ambulatory Care Centre.

North York General made the announcements as it launched a campaign Thursday to raise $150-million to pay for upgrades to buildings, new technologies and equipment, along with research and education.
National Post

A Toronto hospital has struck a deal to compensate 26 female patients who allege they were sexually assaulted while under sedation — although the anesthesiologist now facing criminal charges has not been found guilty of any wrongdoing.

Dr. George Doodnaught was charged with sexually assaulting three of his patients in March of last year. The women range in age from mid-30s to late-80s. An additional 26 charges were laid after more women came forward claiming they too had been assaulted.

It’s alleged the incidents took place at North York General Hospital and a smaller facility between 1992 and February 2010.

Darcy Merkur, a lawyer representing 26 of the 29 women, said that the details of the settlement were confidential, but confirmed that a settlement was reached earlier this month.

“It resolves all of the claims in a manner that we believe is fair, efficient, sensitive and respectful to our clients,” he said.

Police have not revealed details of the alleged assaults.

Doodnaught, 61, has not had a preliminary hearing, which is scheduled for October 2011. He is still licensed to practice medicine in Ontario.

Calls to North York General Hospital and Doodnaught’s lawyer seeking comment were not immediately returned.

Doodnaught is no longer employed by the hospital, and was originally banned from all work as an anaesthesiologist in the province under the terms of his bail. A judge later relaxed the restrictions, allowing the doctor to work on male patients while under the direct supervision of another physician.

A 23-year-old man is dead after he drove his go-kart onto a road in Vaughan and was crushed by an oncoming van.

York Regional Police said the man was in an industrial park around Langstaff Road and Dufferin Street at 5 p.m. Monday when he drove his racing-style go-kart onto Bradwick Drive and into the path of an oncoming cube van.

The van ran over top of the go-kart, police said. The man, whose name had not been released Monday night, was rushed to North York General Hospital.

Although he had been wearing a helmet, he later died. The area is home to an industrial park that has several private roads and small-engine repair shops, where police suspect the man may have come to work on his high-performance go-kart.

Investigators are appealing for witnesses who may have seen the man driving his go-kart in the area Monday afternoon.

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Police allege that one of the assaults took place in September 2009 at the Rice Medicine Professional Corp. The other accusations stem from Dr. Doodnaught’s time at North York General, one allegedly taking place in June 1992, the remainder between 2006 and February 2010.

Police believe there may be more victims and are urging anyone who may have witnessed, heard or seen anything to contact police.

North York General has provided a number for patient inquiries: 416-756-6271.